Knitting-machine.



F. B. WILDMAN & G. L. BALLARD.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1911.

Patented Aug. 11, 191 i.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Tucjcirzg Lever Znvenfi2ra; '7 Frank B. wildm a Geazq eL .B Z

card;

P. B. WILDMAN & G.-L. BALLARD.

KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1911.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

172226723073: Ear-03KB. m ZaZZnan, a Geore L Ballard, 7Z Zm fig/M Jig/l1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. WILDMAN AND GEORGE L. BALLARD, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNORS TO'WILDMAN MFG. 00., PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, A COB- KNITTIN G-MACHINE.

To all Ill/10111 it. may concern.

lie it known that we, FRANK l3. WILDMAN and Gsonos L. Barmaun, a citizen of the United States and a subject of the King of (lreat Britain, respectively, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is designed to produce knitted articles such as neckties in which a neck hand is knit in a solid color and the main parts or ends of the tie are knitted in several colors and with stripes. It will he understoml, however, that we, do not confine ourselves in respect to the article produced.

The invention, among other features, meludes a pair of strimrs on the knitting head and a main and a repeating pattern wheel controlling the said stripers.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s Figure 1 is a side view of a knitting lltut embodying our invention. with parts broken away and parts omitted: Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the knitting head showing one of the stripers: Fig. 3 is a plan v ew of the repeating pattern wheel: Fig. 4 1s a plan view of the pattern mechanism forming part of our invention with parts omitted and parts in section: Fig. 5 is a view looking from the right of Fig. 1 with parts omitted and parts in section: Fig. (l is a view of a detail.

In these drawings. 1 is the main pattern wheel which is driven and controlled in a manner such as by pattern mechanism like that. disclosed in an application of \Vildman and Ballard Serial No. 558,266. April 28. 1010. it being thought sullicient to pointout here that the said pattern wheel is mounted on a shaft 2 which has fixed thereto a pattern ratchet. 3. which in turn is driven from a slide t operated by the machine at each revolution in any suitable manner. said slide earrving a pawl 5 to engage the pattern ratchet and turn the pattern wheel. The engagement of the pawl with the pattern ratchet wheel is regulated by a controller 6. which holds the pawl up as the slide 4 reeiprocates, said controller being held raised by the pins 7 on the pattern ratchet. In-

Speetfleatioa of Letters Patent.

App11catlon filed November 8. 1811.

Patented Aug. 11, 1914.

Serial No. 858.282.

volved in the control of the engagement of the pattern ratchet by its pawl 5 am the measuring gear 8 driven from the card or fabric wheel 10, the loose measuring ratchet 11 having eontrollin cam blocks 12, the arm 12 connected with t 1e controller, and other parts described in the application above referred to for withdrawing the controller from the pawl and allowing the same to fall at predetermined intervals into the teeth of the pattern ratchet so that, on the next forward movement of the slide 4, the ratchet will he moved to turn the main pattern wheel 1. This main pattern wheelhas pins 13 to start a repcating-pattern-wheel-ratchet' and has no effect upon the ratchet 14 of the rcpeating-pattern-wheel. At this time it works idly in the space 19 of said ratchet formed by a low tooth, a number of these low teeth being disposed about the ratchet. When the starting pin on the main pattern wheel strikes the lever 15 of the controller 17. the said controller is depressed. thus allowing the pawl to engage the low tooth in the pattcrn-wheel-ratehet at 19 and turn the same so that now the regular teeth will be engaged by the pawl and the wheel will he turned step by step until the next low tooth comes around, when the movement of the ratchet and the repeating pattern wheel will cease. After the controller is lowered to allow the pawl to engage the low tooth and one pawling action has taken place. the controller can rise, but it does not rise high enough to lift the awl above the plane of the regular teeth, w llCll are now acted on by the pawl to move the ratchet wheel, together i with the attern wheel 14, step by step. The rise 0 the controller is limited by a m 20 on the frame upon which the contro ler lever rests.

During the movement of the repeatingpattern-wheel, pins thereon act in successiutl upon a laterally extending portion of a striper lever 21, that is to say, the pins in one group between one low tooth and the next are brought into action and contact in succession with the lever 21 and operate it until the repeating-pattern-wheel throws itself out or comes to rest. These pins, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are long and short, the long pins 22 heinoadapted to give a greater movement to the lever 21 than the short pins 23, owing to the fact, as shown in Fig. 3, that the long pins, in traveling,

the long pins acting on one end, its other end will be raised, lifting the pin 27 connected with the claw or controller plate 28, Figs: 1, 2 and 5, so that said claw or controller plate will be raised into the path of the star wheel 29 of theright hand striper attachment shown generally in Fig. l at 30, which attachment is mounted to rotate with the cam box 31. Having operated this star Wheel, the striper lever 21, together with the claw 28, drops. back again to the normal position shown, that is, after the long pin has passed the laterally extending foot of the lever 21.; A short pin operating the striper lever will raise the claw 28 so as to be in the plane ofrotation of the star wheel 29 of the other striper shown generally at 31, and which is arranged diametrically opposite the 'striper attachment 30 first mentioned, so

that a change in the threads controlled by this striper may be effected. The star wheels are at different elevations, and hence whenthe claw is lifted by the long pin it will be struck by the high star wheel, and when lifted by the short pin it will be raisedto the plane of the low star wheel. These stripers are substantially of the form shown in Letters Patent of. the United States of Hipwell, 815167, March l3,' 1906, each having a pair of guiding arms 32, 33, or 32', 33', for the yarns, one arm of each being down to feed its yarn and the other arm of each being up to hold its yarn from being fed. The slide 4 reciprocates once for every revolution of the machine, and by arranging pins in the repeating pattern wheel, the-desired striped effect can be secured, the

times when the slide is effective in moving the pattern repeating. wheel being controlled by the measuring mechanism driven from the fabric or card wheel.

The claw 28 is of special form intended to operate the star wheel twice in its passage, for the same purpose as the standards of the -Hipwell patent, i. e., to introduce one thread by depressing its guide arm by one moveinent of the star wheel derived from striking 'of solid white.

the front point 28 of the claw, Fig. 2, and then to withdraw the other thread by raising its lever when the star wheel strikes the other projection 28'. of the claw, the pin 28 being provided to operate the shear and clamp by striking the lever 3i on the striper in a manner substantially similar to the operation of these parts in the Hipwell patent for first shearing the thread and then clamping it. The claw is in the form of a fiat plate having the front and rear projections 28 and 28 to operate, as just pointed out, twice against the star wheel as the same is passing it. It is carried by a post, and extends in a horizontal plane therefrom so that the star wheel which is not to be operated thereby may pass either over or under the plate, as the case may be.

In addition to operating the stripers from the repeating-pattern-wheel in the desired order. one ofthem is controlled by cam blocks on the main pattern wheel 1, two of which are shown at 35, 36. These blocks are of channel form adapted to freely pass the controller lever 15without operating it, but the outer arm or portion 37 of the block is adapted to strike a pin 38 on the striper lever-21, and operate it independently of the repeating-pattern-wheel, and while the same is at rest. By this the claw is raised to the level of the low star wheel, so that this will be made to, transpose its yarns, placing one in feeding position and drawing the other out, and if the one fed in corresponds in color with the one fed in by the other striper, a solid color fabric may be knit, and this is done when it is desired to knit the neck band of a tie in solid color. The repeating-pattern-wheel makes the stripes in the ends of the tie by bringing into action in proper succession one striper and then the other, but as just stated the main pattern wheel effects the change in one of the stripers to make the solid color for the neck band. The main parts of the tie are knit in accordion stitch while the neck band is knit plain rib. We give as follows an example of the use of the invention: The knitting head rotates in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2. The pairs of striper arms j are numbered in this figure as 32, 33, and 32, 33, the former pair being operated from its high star wheel while the arms of the last mentioned pair are operated from the low star wheel. A white thread is fed by the right hand arm 33 of the high-star-wheel striper. A brown thread is fed by its companion arm 32, a pink thread is fed by the arm 32 and a white thread by the arm 33.

\Vith this combination a pattern may be obtained in which the body of the ends of the tie may be made of pink and white, .stripes of brown on a back ground of pink, a

stripe or stripes of white and the neck band The star wheels may be termed actuators for the stripers; the claw a frame contact device for operating the star wl'leels, and the stripers may be termed pattern changing devices.

From the above it will be seen that the repeating wheel can not get out of time. It permits repetitions of the pattern to be made indefinitely. lVhen the repeating pattern wheel is started by the pin on the main pattern wheel, it completes a full action and then throws itself out. The repeating pattern can be made up of groups or repetition of groups of pins the number of groups depending upon the number of low teeth in the ratchet wheel, which must be a multiple of the number of teeth on the ratchet. Say we have sixty teeth in the wheel shown, then we can have one repetition of the pattern by providing two low teeth and arranging a similar group of high and low pins on each section of the wheel, or any other number of low teeth may be used, which will divide into sixty, there bein a corresponding number of groups of big and low pins.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, an additional or supplementary tucking lever 39 is em ployed, this being pivoted on an'extension of the pivots of the controller 17, said lever having one arm provided with an adjusting bearing screw engaging the under side of the main tucking lever 40, and having a depending arm to be operated by long headed screws or pins 41 carried by the repeating orsccondary pattern wheel 14*, these long headed pins or screws projectin on the opposite side of the pattern wheel rom that where the portions 22 and 23 of the pins are located for operating the lever 21. The main tucking lever 40 is operated by suitable plates or pattern members mounted on the main pattern wheel 1, and this tucking lever adjusts vertically a disk 42 which is well known in the VVildman type of machine, and is employed for operating certain contact levers as they are'brought thereto in the revolution of the machine for making changes in the fabric such, for instance, as a tuck stitch, the disk being raised and lowered into and out of the plane of these contact devices carried by the rotary head. The short screws or pins on the secondary pattern wheel 14* do not operate the secondary lever, and from the above construction it will be seen that one set of pins may be used for operating the striping mechanism and another set of pins may be used for operating the tucking lever, these operations being performed without interference one with the other. One object of this secondary tucking lever is to change the pattern from plain stitch to tuck stitch or the reverse, and always have the changes of stitch in a certain relation to the striping changes. The arrangement of the main and secondary tucking levers may be changed from that hown, or in other words, other arrangements of these levers may be employed so that both may act upon the disk 42.

As to some of the features shown herein relating to the pattern mechanism, these are the subject of another application for Letters Patent filed by us.

WVhat we claim is:

1. In combination with a knitting head, a plurality of stripers mounted thereon to feed thread thereto, pattern means for controlling the operation'of said stripers in succession to form the stripes in the fabric, and pattern means for operating one of the stripers alone in relation to the other to produce solid color, the last mentioned pat tern means controlling that first mentioned, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a knitting head, a pair of stripers each having a pair of thread feeding arms with means for operating the arms of each pair alternately to withdraw one threadand feed another thread, controlling means for operating the stripers in succession whereby when one is operated the other will also be operated in proper order, and for operating one striper withoutoperating the other, said controlling means including a pattern member which, when started, will operate both stripers in order, and a pattern member for operating one striper alone, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a knitting head, I

a pair of stripers thereon each having a pair of thread guides and an actuator, which by successive actions thereof throws one thread into action and the other thread out, the actuator for one striper beingarranged to travel in a path out of the plane of the path of the other actuator, a contact device on the frame having two contact surfaces, controlling means therefor for alining said frame contact device first with one actuator and then the other, striper is operated, the-other will also be operated, and means for alining the said rame contact device with one of the striper actuators alone, substantially as described.

4. In combination with a knitting head, a pair of stripers each having a pair of thread guides with an actuator for throw-- ing one into feeding position and withdrawing the other, said actuators being at different heights, and a contact device on the frame with means for adjusting it into the paths of the actuators, said contact device having two contact surfaces to operate each actuator twice when adjusted into line therewith, and comprising two projections extending laterally, and a in moving with the said contact device f dr operating the shears 0n the stripers, substantially as described.

5. In combination with a knitting head, a pair of stripers thereon, each having two whereby, when one one out, said actuators being at difierent elethread guides and an" actuator to put one guide in operative position and the other vations, a contact device on the frame vertically movable into line with said actuators, a pattern wheel having long and short pins, connections operated thereby for raising the contact device to different degrees, a second pattern wheel having a portion for 10- eating thecontact device in line with only one of the stripers, said second pattern wheel operating while the first pattern wheel is at rest.

6; In. combination with a knitting head, a pair or stripersthereon, each having two thread guides and an actuator to put one guide in operative position and the other one out, said actuators being at different elevations, a contact device on the frame vertically movable into line with said actuators, a pattern wheel having long and short pins, connections operated thereby for raising the contact device to different degrees, a second pattern Wheel having a portion for locating the contact device in line with only one of the stripers said second pattern wheel operating while the first pattern wheel is at rest, means for controlling the first mentioned pattern wheel from the second to start, said first pattern wheel being a repeating pattern wheel and throwing itself out of operation.

' 7 In combination with a knitting machine, a pair of'stripers each having a plurality of thread guides and an actuator for and removing the other presenting one to said actuators being at from the needles,

1 different elevations, a contact device on the frame vertically movable into and out of the path of said actuators, a pattern wheel having pattern elements of two kinds, connections operated thereby to different degrees to position the contact device in line with the actuators successively, and a pattern wheel for operating the contact device into and out of line with only one of theactuators, substantially as described.-

8.'In combination with a knitting ma chine, a pair of stripers each having a plurality of thread guides and an actuator for presenting one to and removing the other from the needles, said actuators being at different elevations, a contact device on the frame vertically movable into and out of the path of said actuators, a pattern wheel having pattern elements of two kinds, connections operated thereby to different degrees to position the contact device in line with the actuators successively, and a pattern wheel for operating the contact device into and out of line with only one ofthe actuators, said second pattern wheel acting upon the same connections as the first wheel, substantially as described. 7

9. In combination in pattern mechanism for knitting machines, a main pattern wheel,

a tucking lever operated thereby, ling member for effecting changes in the stitch adjusted by the said tucking lever, a striping attachment, a lever controlling the striping attachment, means, for operating the said lever from the main pattern wheel, a repeating pattern wheel controlled from the main pattern wheel, said repeating pattern wheel having means to operate the striping lever, and a secondary tucking lever also operated by the repeating pattern wheel and acting upon the said controller to adjust the same, substantially as described.

10, In combination in a knitting machine, a device on the knitting head to produce changes in the knitting, a main pattern wheel, a second pattern wheel having throwout means whereby said second pattern wheel is arrested automatically when, it completes one movement, means for starting the second pattern wheel from the first wheel, connections operated by the second pattern wheel for controlling the device on the knitting head to change the. knitting, a tucking lever operated by thefirst pattern wheel, a tucking lever operated by the second pattern wheel, operated by the said tucking levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we aifix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

RANK B. WILDMAN. GEORGE L. BALLARD.

Witnesses:

OWEN BALmnD, G110. R. RALs'roN.

a controland a controlling device 

